EFCC Files Fresh 50 Counts Of Fraud Against Fmr Gov. Of Bayelsa Sylva

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has again filed fresh corruption charges against former governor of Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, before a the Federal High Court, Abuja.EFCC’s Head, Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement that the fresh 50 counts of corruption were filed on Friday.This came two days after Justice Ahmed Mohammed dismissed the one of two fraud cases instituted by the anti-graft agency against Sylva.

Justice Mohammed had held that the case constituted an abuse of court process.Earlier on June 1, 2015, Justice Evoh Chukwu (also of the Federal High Court, Abuja, struck out the other case against Sylva following EFCC’s application for the withdrawal of the case.‎

In the fresh 50 counts filed on Friday, Sylva is charged alongside Francis Okokuro, Gbenga Balogun, and Samuel Ogbuku,.

They are accused of using three companies – Marlin Maritime Limited, Eat Catering Services Limited, and Haloween-Blue Construction and Logistics Limitd – to move about N19.2bn from Bayelsa State coffers between 2009 and 2012, under false pretences of using the withdrawn money to augment salaries of the state government workers.